When I was developing this website I told a friend about how I would be providing information about my personal experiences with Anxiety here at Anxiety Anchor. This person told me that as a potential client she would be uncomfortable knowing that her counsellor had struggled with Anxiety and pointed out the value of therapeutic boundaries. That said, she acknowledged that some may appreciate this type of approach in counselling. I think she was spot on. Some people will like it and some won't. The bottom line is, I feel strongly that first hand experience is one of the most valuable assets a counsellor can have.
I take therapeutic boundaries seriously, I just don't feel as though they are being encroached upon by acknowledging that I have dealt with Anxiety myself and by talking about it. After all, part of my ability to help others comes directly from having been through it myself, and of course, from figuring a lot of it out. I don't want to hide that. In fact, I feel like withholding that may actually add to the stigma surrounding mental health issues. Most importantly however, I think that many clients benefit from knowing that the professional that they're working with can commiserate on some level. I'm not embarrassed about my experiences with anxiety and I don't want anyone else to be either.
In preparation for starting my own practice, I researched other counselling services. I couldn't find any other private counsellors in Nova Scotia that specialized in just Anxiety and Anxiety related issues. I had looked for these services many years ago and hadn't found any then either, but thought that they might be in place by now. I think that there is great value in providing services that are specialized in this way, which is why I created Anxiety Anchor. I hope you find it helpful.
Jen.
